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In 2007, Mongolia issued a coin featuring President John F. Kennedy. The interesting part? This commemorative coin plays a soundbite from his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech at the push of a button. From The Week: Mongolia’s Kennedy coin takes the adage “money talks” quite literally: Not to be outdone by America’s Kennedy half dollar,…
La Femme’s 2010 self-titled EP is a short and hypnotic album that’s a pleasure to listen to, even if you don’t understand a word of French. I had the opening track, “Sur la planche” on constant repeat when the album was first released. But then something changed. When La Femme’s full-length, Psycho Tropical Berlin, finally…
Bitcoin, the preferred currency of hackers, fraudsters, and e-based ruffians everywhere, is now being extorted right in your own backyard—from your local pizza joint, specifically. Now the owners just need to figure out what a bitcoin actually is. First reported by Krebs on Security, the official “notices of extortion” were sent via snail mail to…
When we think about the connected world, we think about hardware—from Twine to Nest—that connects our household appliances to the web for a pretty penny. But according to Quartz, one firm is pioneering an alternative that’s cheap, easy to make, and embeddable in nearly any product. “Think of it as disposable electronics at the edges…
If something I own is not in my direct line of sight, it’s likely that I won’t remember it exists; this is a common excuse I use for why my apartment is never particularly tidy (“I need to see everything, all at once!”). This also might be why I love the look of this Grid…
The Twister Aerobatics Team is not your usual air acrobatics number. Instead of using just smoke canisters, these guys use actual pyrotechnics rockets to give beautiful shows at dusk. Truly spectacular. The videos are spectacular too: SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook
X-ray vision is, sadly, a superpower most of lack (boo). But photographer Brendan Fitzpatrick lets us play pretend with this neat photo series of see-through toys. He’s perfected the technique by capturing the inner workings of flowers and all kinds of creatures, but this latest batch in his Invisible Light collection appeals to every kid…
The best way to think of Lékué’s flexible silicone bowl is as a bread machine that won’t waste valuable kitchen counter space when not in use. Because it’s soft and flexible it can be easily stored in a cupboard or even a drawer, and because it’s all silicone it can go straight from the counter…
Obama’s nearing the end of his second term, which means talk is turning towards where he’ll be setting up camp post-presidency. The location of his presidential library is being hotly contested, with Chicago, New York City, and Honolulu all vying for the prize. Here’s one proposal for locating it in Bronzeville, Chicago’s first African-American neighborhood.…
As a frequent traveler by foot, I love countdowns at crosswalks. They tell me whether I should wait out 2 seconds or leisurely walk across in 15. And indeed, these countdowns do make pedestrians safer. But it turns out that countdowns actually cause more crashes between cars. Here’s why. The answer is, weirdly enough, too…
Google just announced that it’s buying Songza, no doubt in a bid to beef up its music streaming offerings. For the time being, there are no plans to change Songza and no word on the price of the deal, but you can bet that its functionality will be popping up in a Google service sometime…
Cassini entered Saturn’s orbit on July 1st, 2004. And ever since, this NASA-ESA-ASI collaboration has delivered stunning images of the crown jewel of our solar system. The following 50 images were chosen from thousands of similarly great photographs from a full decade of exploring the sixth planet and its iconic ring system and moons. Read…
Every two years, the National Science Foundation asks Americans their thoughts on astrology. We don’t have the numbers for 2014 yet, but back in 2012, 42 percent of Americans said that astrology was scientific — which is a bit depressing, since astrology is in no way scientific. About 10 percent said they believed astrology was…
Step aside, Super Soaker. The one-time king of summer fun has officially been usurped by this custom creation from the folks behind Sugru. It looks like something Schwarzenegger used in an action film, but it’s instead designed for mowing down people with a harmless soaking. For those not in the know, Sugru is a soft,…
Tents are wonderfully effective, but also large, heavy and fragile. Can you really go camping without one? Turns out, you really don’t have to sacrifice that much. Roughing It: This is my preferred outdoor sleeping solution, but only when I can say with reasonable certainty that it’s not going to rain. Here in Southern California,…
In what could turn out to be yet another vain attempt to get most Americans to like—or even mildly appreciate—soccer, Audi created a giant World Cup scoreboard made from something the country definitely loves: Cars. Assembled on the shores of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the scoreboard was built using 42 shipping containers stacked to form a giant…
Last week, we learned the rules for the final round of DARPA’s Robotics Challenge. It was immediately apparent that we’re teetering on the precipice of a futuristic future, where robots can walk around on two legs doing work without human aid. The reality is not unlike the Space Age fantasies from 50 years ago. The…
It was an idea so crazy it just might work. Or not. During the Civil War an engineer in Alabama wanted to counter against Union blockades by building helicopters. The idea never got off the ground, as it were, but he did build this incredible model. From the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: In…
Unlike renegade mammals that live fast and play by their own thermal rules, cold-blooded reptiles and insects march to the beat of a more universal drum—ambient air temperature. You can see it in the speed at which ants walk and fireflies flash, or hear it in the cadence of a cricket’s love song. Their melodies…
Photos are great. But you know what’s better than photos? Kaleidoscopes—the LSD of second graders everywhere. Here are 7 fantastic kaleidoscopic images, made by you. https://gizmodo.com/shooting-challenge-kaleidoscopes-1596377361 Each begins with the original photo, followed by the edited version (in case that wasn’t clear!). Winner: Patio Party My patio at night has lots of contrast with the…
